Pirates A to Z: After a lost season, JT Brubaker showed he has the stuff to be a starter

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Trevor Williams. (The only MLB player with a surname that starts with Z is Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmerman).

JT Brubaker

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 26 (turns 27 on Nov. 17)

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 185 pounds

2020 MLB statistics: 1-3, 4.94 ERA, 1.373 WHIP in 47 1/3 innings over 11 appearances (nine starts).

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2023.

Acquired: Drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round in 2015.

This past season: The Pirates’ 2018 minor-league pitcher of the year, Brubaker lost most of the following season to forearm tightness. His long-awaited MLB debut was spectacular, even though it came in relief.

Brubaker struck out four of the eight batters he faced and allowed three hits in two scoreless innings in a 5-1 win at the St. Louis Cardinals, helping the Pirates clinch their first victory for manager Derek Shelton.

When Mitch Keller went on the injured list, Brubaker took his spot in the starting rotation but needed time to build up his pitch count. In his first career start, he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts on 52 pitches over three innings in a 6-5 win over Minnesota on Aug. 6.

JT Brubaker ?#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/obw4OTvbsD

— Pirates (@Pirates) August 2, 2020

Brubaker lasted five innings or more in his final six starts, and the Pirates went 3-6 in the games he started. He was roughed up twice, giving up seven runs on seven hits in an 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 9 and five runs on seven hits in an 8-6 loss at Cleveland in the season finale Sept. 27.

“It was quick, but I feel like it was a good season,” Brubaker said. “I feel like it was something I could learn from. Just off the top of my head, looking back, it was really two outings that teams did damage off of me.”

Even in a shortened season, he showed that he could compete with the best of the AL and NL Central. That was a boost for his confidence.

“I feel like I’ve done well,” Brubaker said. “I feel like I’ve competed, I feel like I’ve proven to myself that I can get guys out — former MVPs, reigning MVPs, just some of the best hitters in the league. I feel like I have proven myself that my stuff is good enough to get them out, and I go can right after them and not nibble to try to get them to swing at my stuff, just make them swing the bat and they will get themselves out.”

The future: If the Pirates had a quibble, it was with the way Brubaker nibbled. He flashed a five-pitch repertoire with an effective sinker, slider, curveball and changeup but too often tried to trick hitters.

I really dig JT Brubaker's SL pic.twitter.com/hj3ckpnxtd

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) September 3, 2020

“He has great stuff,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “But understanding that he can get outs in the zone and not just out of the zone, not just getting chases, it’s big for him — especially because of the fastball he has, that sinker with high velocity sometimes to both sides of the plate, being able to throw two breaking balls and having a weapon like a changeup whenever he’s behind the count. Just understanding that his stuff plays in the zone is really going to make him take that next step.”

The next step should be securing a spot in the starting rotation, and not having to spend part of the season getting stretched out should be beneficial to Brubaker.

“Just to be able to get into a groove, that’s something that I’m going to take into next year, where we have a full season and I’m able to go into the season built up, ready to go,” Brubaker said. “Definitely something that I’m looking forward to doing.”